A colorful gratin dauphinois for Design Sponge

by Béa

gratin dauphinois sage potato turnip gluten free

Two words: Gratin dauphinois. Très français. Very French. Very homey.

A gratin dauphinois a dish that everyone in my family fights over for the last piece at the bottom of the dish. It’s a dish that I keep reinventing following the seasonability of vegetables, finding new inspiration in beautiful colorful vegetables. This time, when I found the most exquisite pink turnips at the market, I knew that they had to go inside the dish–and by the way, regular purple turnips would be just as nice.

I wrote this gratin dauphinois recipe for Design Sponge‘s In the Kitchen with column. I was honored that they asked me to contribute again. And I could not believe that the first two times I actually contributed to the site were already over two years ago, before Lulu was born.

Most of you will have already have made plans for next week Thanksgiving dinner. But for those of you who haven’t yet, why not making the dish then? It means comfort. It means family. It means you will be left happy. Beside, do you know anyone who can resist a potato gratin?

I don’t.

You will find the recipe by following this link. I will soon post the French recipe too. Stay tuned.

Merci ! Design Sponge offers beautiful things to feed your eyes. If you are not yet familiar with it, check it out. It’s impossible not to feel inspired.

Gratin dauphinois with sweet potato and pink turnips

Sage-flavored gratin dauphinois with potato, sweet potato and pink turnips

For 4 to 6 people

You need:

  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
  • Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
  • 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
  • Twig of thyme
  • 1 pound 9 oz (700 g) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced finely with a mandoline
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced finely with a mandoline
  • 5 to 6 small pink turnips, peeled and sliced finely with a mandoline
  • 6 sage leaves, chopped finely
  • Sea salt and pepper
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 1 oz (30 g) finely grated Comté cheese (or Emmenthal)

Steps:

  • Rub a 12 x 8.5-inch baking dish with 2 halves of one garlic clove. Butter the dish generously.
  • Slice the halves of garlic and place them at the bottom of the dish; set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 F.
  • In a pot, heat the milk and heavy cream with the remaining garlic halves and the thyme. Bring to a simmer and then stop the heat. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes. Strain, discarding the garlic and thyme, and reheat.
  • Tightly arrange the slices of vegetables at the bottom of the dish, alternating between 1 layer of slices of potatoes, 1 of sweet potato and 1 of turnip. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.
  • Add the sage and then pour the milk/cream batter over the vegetables–the milk should cover the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Top with the grated cheese. Bake the gratin for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top had a nice golden color. Serve warm as a side dish.
Le coin français
Gratin Dauphinois aux patates douces, navets roses et sauge

Pour 4 à 6 personnes

Ingrédients :

  • 2 gousses d’aïl, pelées et coupées en deux
  • Beurre non salé, pour le plat
  • 240 ml de lait entier
  • 240 ml de crème liquide
  • 1 brin de thym
  • 700 g de pommes de terre, pelées et coupées finement avec une mandoline
  • 1 grosse patate douce, pelée et coupée finement avec une mandoline
  • 5 navets roses, pelés et coupés finement avec une mandoline
  • 6 feuilles de sauge, hachées finement
  • Sel de mer et poivre du moulin
  • Pincée de muscade
  • 30 g de Comté, finement râpé

    • Etapes :

    • Frottez votre plat à gratin (22 x 30 cm) avec une moitié de gousse d’aïl. Beurrez-le généreusement. Tranchez la deuxième moitié de la gousse et répartissez au fond du plat; mettez de côté. Préchauffez le four à 200 C.
    • Dans une casserole, faites chauffer le lait avec la crème et le thym et la deuxième gousse d’aïl. Une fois que vous atteignez la première ébullition, arrêtez le feu. Couvrez et laissez infuser pendant 30 minutes. Filtrez et réchauffez.
    • Arrangez les légumes dans le plat, en alternant entre une couche de pommes de terre, une de navets et une de patates douces. Continuez jusqu’à épuisement des ingrédients.
    • Ajoutez la sauge, salez et poivrez puis couvrez du mélange de lait. Ajoutez la muscade et finissez par le fromage. Enfournez pendant 50 minutes à 1 heure, ou jusqu’à ce que le dessus soit doré. Servez aussitôt.
    Posted in French Inspired, Gluten Free, Life and Us, Vegetarian

    45 comments

    4. If there would be a “Miss Gratin” beaty contest this one would definitely be the winner. So gorgeous! Ever so inspiring, Béa. Have a lovely weekend.

    7. It looks so good! We are gratin eaters. Tell me, have you ever had the dish “himmel und erde”? It’s German, literally means “heaven and earth”, a gratin of potatoes, apples, onions and bacon. I made it this week, my husband’s favorite. So, yes, this Thanksgiving a gratin is a must. Another wonderfully colorful post to read on a grey day. Thanks!

    8. ca me plait de voir une recette qui utilise des navets parce que c’est une chose avec qui je n’ai jamais cuisinée. mais pour le thanksgiving cette annee je crois que je ferai les légumes racines rotis avec un gremolata de noisette, donc ca va changerai! merci pour les toujours belles photos. (please excuse my french.. ca fait longtemps depuis que j’écris en francais!)

    9. it’s funny how sometimes things come to each other – this time 2 of my favourite blogs-yours and Design Sponge (did not know you were featured there before, have to check it out now!)
      🙂
      beautiful arrangemens, love your eye for colours!

      and valérie, it’s so funny that “Himmel und Erde” for you is a gratin, because here in Germany the traditional Himmel und Erde is mashed potatoes and apples with different types of sausage depending on the region of Germany. but the gratin version sounds worth trying it 🙂

    10. Ce gratin est définitivement superbe! J’aime beaucoup varier les légumes que j’utilise dans les gratins. Le navet rose, pas facile à trouver ici, mais le jour où j’en verrai j’achète et je prépare en gratin:)

    13. Il donne envie ce gratin tout en couleur !
      Et une bien belle idée que de varier les légumes pour ce grand classique.

    15. everithing is beautiful in this post: recipe, colours, photos.Also the knife matches the color turnips!!

      ciao

    17. Superbes couleurs Béa! Et superbes photos, comme d’habitude.
      Je ne connais pas ces navets roses, je crois que je n’en ai jamais vu ici… (CH); ça donne un résultat splendide 🙂

      Salutations!

    19. Love this idea of adding in turnip! Will definitely try it out sometime but the trick will be finding those adorable pink turnips here in NC. Beautiful photos as always!

    20. Beautiful recipe. came out wonderful.
      here is a wonderful food blog which I like with a similar spirit (and good taste)
      mybissim.com

    21. Magnifiques couleurs! Et je n’avais pas pensé à mettre des navets dans un gratin dauphinois mais ça me donne de l’idée!

    22. oh this looks stunning and I’ll bet it tastes divine too – love the photography!

    23. In Rome, turnips tend to show up in any colour as you like as long as they are white(ish). But I like them all the same so might try this new version of gratin.

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    25. I’m in love with the dancing bright colors! The photography is surreal and I love the feminine colors you’ve used! Certainly a facelift for the boring gratin 😉

    29. Salut, je suis Mónica, j’adore ce gratin mais aussi tout le blog, les photos et l’style c’est “precioso”. J’aimerais beaucoup faire ta conaissaince même si cèst par mail. J’ai un blog et un petit catering artisan nommé Pinchín.
      Un beso.

    30. Quelle bonne idée que ces navets dans le gratin dauphinois ! Mes préados n’y verront que du feu ! et si on essayait avec des panais.
      Comme toujours, j’adore la poésie que dégagent vos photos !
      Un grand bravo du fin fond des Vosges du Nord, adossée à la Petite Pierre 😉

    31. This is just the recipe I am looking for. I love how thinly the veggies are sliced, and I love the gem-like colors. It’s like looking into a ring box.

    32. Thank you everyone. So glad you enjoyed it, for those of you who tried the recipe.

    33. I made it and it was very good… even without the pretty pink turnips. I used the regular ones and it was still very tasty. Only problem, I overcooked it a bit. the filling was perfectly fine, but the poor comte over-browned a bit. But no problem, I was able to scape most of it off and re-grate the cheese over it. BTW: I was even better the next morning as a side dish at breakfast. Thanks for sharing!!

    34. I was excited to see this recipe after receiving so many roots with our CSA-including pink turnips! Tried it last night and did not have yukon gold potatoes, but it turned out beautifully anyway. The mandoline is key for getting the slices just so. Thank you!

    35. I’ve made this 3 times in the past 10 days and I’m still not tired of it. I used the smallest (unfortunately not pink) turnips I could find and their slightly peppery influence was wonderful. I skipped the cheese as I served it originally with a very rich main course and haven’t bothered adding it subsequently. The last time I made it was entirely for me served as dinner accompanied by a green salad tossed with a sherry vinegar dressing… Heaven!

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    38. couldnt sleep ? excitment and found your yummy blog .Now i am starving ,the colours are fabulous and the finished dishes look wonderful mmmmmmmm cant wait to see more .I used tolive in paris and miss so much Frnehc food ,looks like i can fnd a fix here !1 thankyou happy christmas fay xx

    39. Je l’ai fait et nous nous sommes régalés. Je pense l’apporter pour notre dinner de la Saint Sylvestre car mon amie prépare un jambon (honey baked ham).
      I made it and it was to fall for. I think of bringing it for the new year’s dinner we’re invited to. It will complement my friends honey baked ham perfectly.

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    42. You are amazing. I made this today with potatoes and sweet potatoes because I couldn’t find turnips at the store. Not to worry, still awesome. I’ve posted this recipe, or at least my version of it, on my blog. I hope you don’t mind. I provided a link of this post also. I’m a huge fan! 🙂

    43. so i have to say that i happened upon this recipe on design sponge on the small screen of my iphone after my mom introduced me to d*sponge and even on the tiny screen of my phone a fell in love and in lust for this gratin. that was six months ago! and now before thanksgiving im all shopped up for it and ready and eager to make it tomorrow morning (almost started to peel the potatoes tonight i was so excited) and i will report back since its been on my mind for ages and i am more than ready to try it!!! note to self: grow gorgeous pink turnips next year!

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